4/30_Acapella pt.2/finish self-critiques

On Tuesday we started working on our own remixes of "Tell Me When To Go" using the acapella of the chorus (aka "hook"). Today we're going to focus on making a verse section to the song.

Please do the following:

1. Go to the Pickup folder and find the file called "Tell Me When_Verse 1.wav". Copy it to the Documents folder where you copied the hook yesterday.
   
2. Open your Reason file from yesterday.
3. Create a new NN19 Sampler (you should have 2 now) and load this new audio file.
4. Move your markers so that they go for 16 bars AFTER the hook. Hint: if your hook goes from Bar 1-9, then your Verse should go from Bar 9 - 25. (L marker on 9, R marker on 25).
5. In the Sequencer, switch to Edit Mode and, use the Pencil Tool to draw in a note for this whole 16-bar section. Remember that to draw the note at C3.
   
6. Now switch to a new pattern in your Redrum and make a beat to go under this section. Please make it at least a little different from yesterday's beat.
7. Add at least one more melodic instrument (NN19/Subtractor/Malstrom/etc.)
8. Important: Please do Song Self-Contain Settings.
9. Save, save, save!
   

Advanced
Please turn in all of your Self-critique materials today. Again, the three things I need from each person are:

1. The original audio files of your songs (that you exported last week).
2. The Self-critique Word document.
3. The new audio files of your songs (with all changes/improvements).

If you have ALL of these items turned in, then you can have free time to work on your own music.

4/26_Acapella pt.1/Finish Self-critiques

Basic

Today we're going to start a new remix project using an acapella from a famous song...

Here's what you're going to do:

1. Go to the Pickup folder and find the file called "Tell Me_hook.wav". Copy it to the Documents folder on your computer.
   
2. Create a new Reason file.
3. Important! Set the Tempo to 107 BPMs. Hit play and listen to the loop.
4. Create an NN19 Digital Sampler.
5. Click the Browse Sample button and load the file you just copied to the Documents folder.
6. Switch the Sequencer Window to Edit Mode by clicking on this button:
7. Use the Pencil Tool to draw in a note at C3 that goes from Bar 1 to Bar 9. It should look like this:
8. Switch back to Arrange Mode by clicking this button again:
9. Set your L Marker to Bar 1 and the R marker to Bar 9.
10. Create a Redrum and make a 32-step beat to go under this (remember, it will probably work best if you put a snare or clap on 5 & 13!)
11. Create a Subtractor/NN19/Malstrom/NNXT/Combinator and make a melody to go with this.
12. Create a Dr. Rex and load a Percussion loop to go along with your drums.
13. Important! Before you save this, go to File>Song Self-Contain Settings.
14. Click Check All and OK.
15. Save this beat to your folder as "(your name)_Tell Me.rns".

Tune in tomorrow to start working with the verses!


Advanced
Advanced folks, I need three things from you by the end of the day. The first two are as follows.

1. Audio files of all the songs you burned to your CDs.
2. Copies of your Self-critique documents (see yesterday's blog entry).

The third thing I want is for you to do is as follows:

1. Go back to the Reason files of the songs you exported and make all the changes you listed in your self-critiques ("Things that could be better").
2. After you make the changes, do File>Save As and call them "original filename_edit". So if your song was called "Cesar Song 2", change it to Cesar Song 2_edit".
   
3. Export the songs as audio files again and turn them in to the Dropoff folder.
4. Import the files into your iTunes playlist.

4/26_Finish Collabos/Self-critique

Basic
It seemed like last week most folks weren't quite done with the Collabo assignment, so today I want everyone to finish these up. Remember, you need to add all the following elements to your partner's beat:

• At least 2 original instruments (no Redrums or Dr. REXes)
• At least 3 Verses, 3 Choruses
• EXTRA CREDIT if you add something to the Bridge.

When you finish, be sure to save your file as your name_partner name_collabo and turn it in to the Dropoff folder.

Advanced

Today you folks who exported the audio files of all your songs have a short writing assignment. Please do the following:

1. Open iTunes.
2. Find the playlist that you created for your music.
3. Go to the Pickup folder and copy the file called "Self-critique".
4. Open the file.
5. Listen to your songs one at a time and for each one, type 2 things that you like about it and 2 things that could be better.
6. Save the file as your name_Self-critique and turn it in to the Dropoff folder.
7. Also turn in the audio files of all your songs.

When you finish, let Mr. Runde know so that he can check it out.

4/23_Collabo part2/Burning CDs

So, yesterday we laid down some drum tracks and put them into a song structure. Today, we're going to trade beats and work with other people's drums to make remixes of their songs. To get the beats, go to the Pickup folder and find the folder called Collabo drums (Pickupdropoff>BAVAC>Pickup>Collabo drums).

Now do the following:

1. Find the beat of the person you're collaborating with and copy it to your folder to work on.
2. Immediately do File>Save As and name this file: "your name_partner name_collabo.rns"
3. Open the file and listen to the beat. What style of music is this? What kinds of sounds do you think could work with this song? Pay attention to how the song switches up at the chorus. Think about what you're going to do to match the switch.
4. Using at least 3 instruments (no Dr. Rex, no Redrums!), record some melodies and/or basslines to go with the drums.
5. Once you have the two parts recorded, copy them out so that you have a whole song.
   
6. Save it and turn in a copy to the Dropoff folder. Have your collabo partner come listen to what you did with his/her beat!

To get full credit, you need:

• At least 2 original instruments (no Dr. Rex, no Redrums)
• Drums and melodies copied out for at least 3 Verses and 3 Choruses.
• EXTRA CREDIT if you also add something to the Bridge
  

Remember, the correct file name should be: "yourname_partnername_collabo.rns"


Advanced
You folks are going to spend today burning CDs of your complete songs. I gave you yesterday to polish up your beats. Today you need to export everything to audio files, import the files to iTunes, create a new playlist containing all your music, and burn CDs.

4/23_Collabo pt.1/

Basic
So today you have two objectives:

1. Finish and turn in your "Dirty South" drums from yesterday.
2. Start an assignment where you are going to collaborate with a partner on making a new song. (see below).
   

You are going to be collaborating with another student to create an original song. Today, you are just going to focus on making a full song's worth of drum tracks. It is you possibly can.

1. Create a Redrum, and make a 32-step beat.

2. Put the beat into the Sequencer from Bar 1-Bar 17.

3. Move the L marker to Bar 17 and the R marker to Bar 25.

4. Create a second Redrum. Load different sounds and make 16-step beat.

5. Highlight everything and copy and paste it twice . You should end up with a song that has 3 verses and 3 choruses.

6. Now mute the first two Redrum tracks by clicking on the M button on the left side of the track.

7. Create a third Redrum and make a 16-step beat. This is going to be the bridge. When you get it down, find a place in your song where you want it to go and move everything over to give it space. Put it in for 8 bars.

Save this as "your name_collabo.rns" and put a copy in the Dropoff folder.

Advanced

4/21_Dirty South drums

Producers in the South have a distinct style that they use to make their beats. You may have noticed that they use really fast rolls for their hi hats and snares. Today we're going to work on getting those elements into a beat.

1. Create a new Reason session.
2. Create a Redrum and load a bass (Bd_Boomer), a clap (Clp2_Xtc6), a snare drum (Sd2_Riot) and a hi hat (Hh_Xfile2).
3. Change the tempo to 100 BPMs.
4. On the Redrum, change the number of steps to 32.
5. Change the Resolution to 1/32.
6. Put Hi Hats on all the odd numbered steps (don't forget to also put them in Step 17-32!).
7. Put the Clap on step 9.
8. Put the Bass on step 1 and any other steps that you think sound good.
9. Go back to the Hi Hats and try putting them on some even numbered steps to get those fast little rolls in there (not too many! Less is more!).
10. Now click on Pattern 1 and copy it (Edit>Copy Pattern).
11. Paste it in to Pattern 2 (Edit>Paste Pattern).
12. Now, in Pattern 2, select your Snare drum.
13. Put Snares on steps 1, 7, 13.
14. Change to Steps 17-32 and put the snares on steps 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16.
15. Go to Pattern 1 and do Copy Pattern to Track from Bars 1-4.
16. Now go to Pattern 2 and Copy the Pattern to Track from Bars 4-5.
17. Add at least two more instruments to go over this (Hint: Try looking in the Combinator instrument under Synth Lead).
18. Save this as your name_DirtySouth. and turn it in to the Dropoff folder.

4/16_Basic Mixing/Remixes pt.2

Basic
When you have finished recording your music, it is really important that you spend some time mixing it.

Mixing is the process of taking all your tracks and making them sound as good as possible together. There is a lot that goes into mixing, but for today we're going to just concentrate on two main aspects: volume and panning.

Volume
Balancing the volume of all of your tracks is important because you are deciding what are the most important parts of the song for your listeners to hear. If all your instruments are at the same volume, you make it so that people can't hear the best parts as well as you want them to. So, you need to learn to prioritize your tracks and decide which are the most important, and which ones you can pull down a little. A lot of the time, by just making one track just a little bit softer, you make another track stand out a lot more.

Panning
Panning is where you move a particular instrument to the left or the right in your headphones. You do this in order to give each instrument its own special spot in the mix and help it to be heard more clearly. Panning can also be used to make it sound as though instruments are talking to each other. Things like this help to make the song more interesting for the listener.

Certain instruments AREN'T usually panned; these include:

• Bass (drums and basslines)
  
• Snares and Claps

Almost all other instruments are panned at least a little to the left or the right.

Both volume and panning are usually handled through the mixer.

The faders control volume:

The pan knobs control the panning.

To get a better idea about what a professional mix sounds like, lets listen closely to the instrumental of a popular song. Pay attention to how loud certain instruments are in relation to each other and where they are (left to right) in your headphones. Listen to just a minute or two: LINK

So, please do the following:

1. Create a Redrum drum machine and make a 32-step drum beat.
2. Create at least 3 other instruments.
3. Make me a song that has 2 Verses, 2 Choruses and an Intro.
4. Use at least 1 Aux effect and 1 Insert effect.
5. All tracks in the Mixer have some kind of Volume and Panning adjustment. 

Save this as your name_mixing 1 and turn it in to the Dropoff folder.

Advanced

Please continue working on remixing your partner's song. Remember that the goal of a remix is to keep the main elements of the original song - the things that make the song good - but then put a different spin on how the song flows.

To get full credit, I need all the following elements:

1. Add at least 2 new instruments, hopefully including one of your "signature" sounds.
2. Change at least one of the original instruments to something else (keep the original notes though!)
3. Add 2 FX to the original instruments
4. Change the order of the Verses and Choruses; for example if it originally starts with a Verse, put a Chorus in the beginning instead
5. Change the tempo at least a little.

In addition to that, do whatever you want to switch this song up and give it a different flavor. Save this as your name-partner's name remix

4/14_FX pt. 2 (Inserts & Auxes)/Remix 1

Basic

So, yesterday we started working with putting some FX on our tracks. We were doing this by directly connecting FX processors to our instruments. Using FX this way is called "Inserting"; you are inserting the FX processor in between the instrument and the mixer, like this:

Subtractor -> Scream -> Mixer

There is another way to work with FX, though, that is a little more complicated to explain, but actually a really useful tool for when you're working on your music.

In this method, you connect the FX processor to your Mixer. You can then apply these FX to any instrument coming through the Mixer by turning up the knobs called Auxes.

Aux knobs let you send a certain amount of your signal to the FX processor and then blend the affected (wet) sound with your original (dry) sound. Reason will let you connect up to four different FX processors to the Auxes. As usual, this sounds way more complicated than it actually is.

To use the Auxes, just do the following:

1. Click on the Mixer in the rack to make sure it is highlighted.
2. Go to the Create menu and pick an FX processor (reverb, distortion, delay, etc.). Reason will automatically connect it to the Mixer for you.
   
3. Pay attention to which Aux the processor is connected to. You can tell by looking in the upper right corner of the Mixer where it says "Return".
4. Find the track of the instrument you want to put the effect on and turn up the appropriate Aux knob.

Assignment:

So today you are going to be creating a song (at least 24 bars) that uses both styles of FX - Inserts and Auxes.

1. Start a new Reason file.
2. Click on the Mixer and make sure it is highlighted.
   
3. Go to Create>RV7000 Advanced Reverb.
4. Create at least one more FX processor of your choice to attach to your Mixer.
5. Using whatever instruments you want (at least 3), make a song that has identifiable Verse and Chorus sections.
6. Now use at least 2 more FX processors with either the Insert or Aux method.
7. Save this as your name_FX2 and turn it in to the Dropoff folder.
   

Advanced
Alright my friends, today you are going to get into remixing some of each others' work. I want you to do the following:

1. Pick one of the complete songs that you have done over the last few weeks and put the Reason file in the Pickup folder.
2. Exchange beats with another student:

Here are the pairs that I want:

Cesar take Jose H's beat

Jose H take Gio's

Gio take Ebony's

Ebony take Eddie's

Eddie take Cesar's

Now, you are going to Remix this song and add all the following elements:

• Add at least 2 new instruments, hopefully including one of your "signature" sounds.
• Change at least one of the original instruments to something else (keep the original notes though!)
• Add 2 FX to the original instruments
• Change the order of the Verses and Choruses; for example if it originally starts with a Verse, put a Chorus in the beginning instead
• Change the tempo at least a little.

In addition to that, do whatever you want to switch this song up and give it a different flavor. Save this as your name-partner's name remix

4/13_FX part 1/

So now that we are getting to be experts at putting songs together, we can spend some time concentrating on getting everything to sound more interesting. One of the easiest ways to do this is to use FX Processors.

FX Processors are things that you attach to your instruments (Redrums, Subtractors, NN19s, etc.) that change the way they sound. Depending on what kind of music you are trying to make, FX can help your music to sound more exciting (slap!), smoother, or just more unique.

There are lots of different types of FX available to you in Reason. For now, let's just focus on two of them:

1. Reverb - Reverb makes things sound like they are in a big, echo-ey space like a hallway or a church. It can help instruments or vocals sound more "real", as if they were coming from a real musician playing in a hallway somewhere. To get an idea of what I'm talking about, let's listen to an example of an acapella vocal track that has a lot of reverb on it: link. The reverb processor in Reason is the RV7000. It looks like this:
2. Distortion - Distortion is that gritty, harsh sound that makes things sound more aggressive. You hear it a lot on guitars in rock music, but it can be put on anything to give it a harder feel. In hip hop, distortion is sometimes used on synthesizers or drums to make them sound more raw and less clean. The distortion processor in Reason is called the Scream. It looks like this:
   

One important thing to know is that there is usually a knob or a setting that lets you control how much of an effect to put on an instrument. This knob is usually called "Dry/Wet". On the Scream it is called "Damage Control".

Assignment:
Today you're going to use the two types of FX we discussed above in a beat. This beat should include at least three instruments: a Redrum and two other instruments of your choice (only 1 Dr. Rex please).

1. Start a new Reason file.
2. Create a Redrum and spend 10 minutes making a basic beat.
3. Now create a Subtractor/NN19/etc. and load up a sound you like. Make a short melody (~4 bars) to go with your drums.
4. Now make sure that your Subtractor/NN19 is highlighted in the rack, then go to the Create menu and select the RV7000.
5. Listen to your beat. How does the instrument sound now? If there is too much reverb, turn the Dry/Wet knob towards Dry until you have just the right amount of echo.
   
6. Make create another Subtractor/NN19/etc. and add another few sounds.
7. Make sure that your Subtractor/NN19 is highlighted in the rack, then go to the Create menu and select the Scream.
   
8. For the last step, try putting a Scream, an RV7000 or both on your Redrum.
9. Save the beat to your folder as "(your name)_FX 1.rns"

4/3_Song Structure 3

Basic

So today is the last day for us to finish up our projects. Remember, that to get full credit, you must have these elements:

1. A basic song structure including an Intro, Verses (at least 3), and Choruses (at least 3)
2. At least 6 different instruments (only 1 Dr. Rex!)

Now, if you have all the requirements met and want to try to pick up some extra credit, you can add in a PreChorus, which we discussed on Tuesday, or a Bridge...

A Bridge is a musical/lyrical change in a song that comes in after a couple of verses and choruses. Its purpose is to switch things up for the listener and keep things from getting too repetitive. A bridge is typically 8 bars long.

So, before I let you get back to working on your songs, let's listen to the song, "Heartless" by Kanye and analyze the structure. 

kanye heartless by brooklynGME

This time, besides counting the numbers of verses and choruses, I want you to try to pick out where the bridge comes in. How does it sound different from the other parts of the song?

Advanced

Your third songs are DUE today. Remember that you need to include the following information in the Song Information section (File>Song Information):

• The name of the artist/producer whose style you are imitating.
• Five elements that artist's style that you are including in your song.

Other than that, please just make sure that this is a FULL SONG - minimum 3 Verses/Choruses, Intro, Outro/Fade out.

Save this as your name_Song 3 and turn it in to the Dropoff folder.

Have a great and relaxing Spring Break!

4/2_Song Structure 2(Intro & Prechorus)/3rd Songs

Basic
Yesterday we started focusing on building our songs around Verses and Choruses.

Recap:
- What is a verse and how long is it usually?
- What is a chorus and how long is it usually?

New question: How many verses and choruses do you usually have in a song?

To help us get a general idea about this, everyone is going to listen on headphones to the T.I. song, "Whatever You Like" and count the number of verses and choruses. Before we start this though, let's identify the chorus in this song:

"Whatever You Like" by T.I.

So there are two more parts of this song that I want you to pay attention to. The first one is the very beginning of the song, aka...

The Intro is the start of the song. Its purpose is to build suspense for the listener so that there is more excitement when the Verse or Chorus kicks in. There are lots of ways to make an intro; two really easy ones are to have the song start with either no drums or only the drums. An Intro is usually 2-4 bars long.

A little bit more complicated is something called a Prechorus...

A PreChorus is a little section that goes in between the Verse and the Chorus. Its purpose is to connect the two and make the transition between them a little smoother, or help create suspense so that the Chorus hits harder. Sometimes this is like a whole new musical section, other times it can just be the last part of the verse that always gets repeated along with the Chorus. The PreChorus is usually about 4 bars long.

In "Whatever You Like", the PreChorus is the part where he says "I want your body, need your body etc." What else is happening the beat in this section? Any new instruments?

So, the whole song could be broken down like this...

Intro - Ch - V1 - (PreCh) Ch - V2 - (PreCh) Ch - V3 - (PreCh) Ch - V4 - (PreCh) Ch

Let's listen to one more song and see if you can identify the prechorus...

So today, these should be your priorities as you work on your songs:

1. Finish your Verse and Chorus sections. Feel free to switch their order around if you want the 
2. Copy the Verse and Chorus so that you have at least 3 of each.
3. Add a 4-bar Intro at the beginning of your song. Make it so that there's some kind of buildup and when the song gets to Bar 5, I really feel it when the song kicks in!

Advanced
You folks should keep working on your 3rd songs. Last time you picked an artist/producer whose style you were imitating. Please be sure that you keep working on this same beat today and try to incorporate the 5 elements that you wrote about in the Song Information section of your Reason file. Today is a long period, so this is your main block of time to get the song mapped out.

Make it happen!